Sewing-machine needle.



J. FRENCH.

SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.4,1907.

947,485, Patented Jan. 25, 1910. I /6 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 1313.2. 22 6.

J. FRENCH.

SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE.

APPLIUATION FILED NARA, 1907.

947,485, Patented Jan.25,1910.

2 SHBETS-SHEET 2.

M49976: 556$, Dn/ema/r "PATENT ()FFlt/E.

JOSEPH FRENCH, OF \VOONSOCKET, RHODE ISLAND.

SEWING-MACHINE NEEDLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 25, 1910.

Application filed March 4, 1907. Serial No. 360,364.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH FRENCH, a citizen of the United States,residing in VVoonsocket, county 0' Providence, and State of RhodeIsland, have invented an Improvement in Sewing-Machine Needles, of whichthe following description, in connee tion with the accompanying drawing,is a specification, like numerals on the drawing representing likeparts.

This invention relates to sewing machine needles, and especially tostraight needles having an open eye therein. Needles of this type arecommonly used in chain -stitcl1 sewing machines.

The object of the invention is to provide a novel needle of this classwhich can be used without a cast-oil and also without any danger of theneedle missing the last-formed loop when said needle is moved toward thework to penetrate the latter.

If needles of this class are set in a sewing machine with the eye andbarb facing the direction toward which the work is fed, thepreviously-formed loop will be readily shed from the needle while thelatter is drawn through both the work and the last-formed loop owing tothe fact that the bight or closed end of said previously-formed looprests around the back of the needle and the barb is faced away from saidbight. Then the needle is set in this position, however, there isnothing to hold the last-formed loop in the eye, so that when the needlebegins its penetrative movement toward the work said last-formed loop isvery apt to be dropped from the eye. It the needle is turned around orwith the eye facing in the opposite direction, then there is no dangerof the last-formed loop being dropped when the needle makes itspenetrative movement, but a cast-oil or other similar device isnecessary to enable the prcviously-formed loop to be shed from theneedle and to prevent said previouslyformed loop from being caught inthe barb while being so shed.

As stated above, it is the object of my invention to provide a needlewhich is so constructed that the last-formed loop will be securely heldthereon and held in position so that the needle will always pass throughsaid loop during its penetrative movement, and the previously-formedloop will not be caught in the barb while being shed from the needle andenchained on the last-formed loop. To accomplish this object I make myimproved needle with a barb which is-cut away on that side of the needlehaving engagement with the previously-iflirmed loop as the latter isshed and also so form the needle that the point on the side which is aptto catch in said previously-formed loop is properly guarded so that thebarb cannot catch in the loop. This construction permits me to set theneedle at an angle to the line of feed without danger of thepreviouslyformed loop being caught in the barb and also permits me todispense entirely with the cast-oft.

These and various other objects and advantages of my invention will moreclearly appear from the following description 01' some embodiments ofthe invention.

lo the drawings, Figi'lre is a 'tront view of a needle embodying myinvention; Fig.2 is a side view thereof; Fig. 3 is a view showing theopposite side of the needle from that shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is asection on the line o-u, Fig. 3; Fig. 5 a section on the line 7)Z), Fig.3; Fig. (3 is a view showing the operation of the needle in theformation of stitches; Fig. 7 is a view showing the position of theneedle and the loops as the neodle begins its penetrativc movement; Fig.8 is a diagram showing the position of the needles relative to the lineof feed; Fig. 9 shows one side of a needle embodying a dit- Iterent'liorn'i oi" the invention; Fig. 10 is a front view ot the needle shownin Fig. 9; Fig. it shows the opposite side of the needle shown in Fig.t); Fig. 12 shows still another embodiment of the invention.

The needle 23 is provided with the eye 41: and barb 5, as usual. Oneside of the needle is formed with the guard portion (3 which projectsbeyond the edge 7 and the point ot the barb, as best shown in Fig. l,for the purpose of protecting the previous]y-formed loop from the barbwhen said loop is shed from the needle. This guard portion 6 operates tohold said previoiisly-it orn'led loop away from the barb so that it willnot be caught thereon as it; is shed 'from the needle.

In my improved needle the edge 7 of the barb which is situated on theside of the needle having engagement with the previ- I to the point thanon the left-hand side of the needle in said figure. The open eye of anordinary needle is cut or formed so that the two sides of the eye arelocated opposite each other and the same distance from the point of theneedle, but by cutting the eye so that said eye terminates on one sideof the needle nearer the point than on the other side of the needle, theedge 7 and the point of the barb will be cut away,- as seen in Fig. 1,and the guard portion 6 will be left on the body of the needle toprotect the barb, said guard portion 6 standing sufliciently beyond theedge 7 of the barb to protect not only said edge but the point thereoffrom getting caught in the previously-formed loop when the latter isshed from the needle.

In Figs. 9 10 and 11 I have shown the needle as having the usualthreadreceiving grooves 8 and 9 which extend from the eye toward thepoint in. a direction substantially parallel to the median line of theneedle.

In Figs. 2 and 3 which show the preferred embodiment of the invention,the thread-re ceiving grooves 8 and 9 extend from the eye in an inclinedor diagonal direction, said grooves terminating on the back side of theneedle between the eye and the point. These thread-receiving grooves mayboth be of the same depth, or I may make the groove 9 on that side ofthe needle having the guard 6 slightly deeper than the other groove, asshown in Fig. 41. In using a needle having these improvements, theneedle may be set as shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, that is, with the eye atan angle of somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 from the line of feedwhich is indicated by the line cc, Fig. 8, the needle being turned sothat the side having the guard 6 is turned away from the directiontoward which the work is fed. When in this position, thepreviously-formed loop 12 has engagement with the side of the needlehaving the guard 6 and the side on which the edge 7 of the barb is cutaway, but because of the presence of said guard and the barb being cutaway, as shown, said previously-formed loop will be readily shed fromthe needle without any danger of being caught by the barb while the lastformed loop 13 is being drawn through the material, as shown in Fig. 6,because the guard portion 6 completely protects the barb from said loop12.

The thread-receiving groove or recess 9 which is situated on that sideof the needle that faces toward the direction from which the work is fedwhich is the groove that re ceives the strand. 14: of the last-formedloop leading to the thread supply is deeper than the other groove, andbecause of this fact and also because said groove inclines backwardly,as shown in Fig. 2, said groove 9* serves to guide the strand 1 1 of thelastformed loop 13 back of the point of the needle when the work is fedforward, as seen in Fig. 7, so that when the needle is given its'penetrative movement the point thereof will not miss said last-formedloop 13.

lVhile I prefer to make the thread-receiving grooves inclined or on thediagonal, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, yet this is not essential to theinvention as my invention may be embodied in a needle with the groovesextending parallel to the length of the needle, as seen in Figs. 9, l0and 11.

In Fig. 12 I have shown a slightly different way of forming thethread-receiving grooves. In said figure, these grooves are formed withthe overhanging lip 17 which partially overlies the thread and serves tomore securely hold it in the groove.

In Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings the end of the needle is so shaped thatthe point 16 thereof is situated in front of the median line 15. Thishas the advantage that when the work is fed forward, as seen in Fig. 7and the needle begins its penetrative movement, the point 16 is situatedso far to one side of the last-formed loop 13 that said point cannotmiss the loop. I prefer to so construct the needles, although a needlewith a centrally-arranged point which embodies the other features of theinvention can be successfully used.

A needle embodying my invention can be used without a cast-off andwithout danger of the last-formed loops being dropped or of thepreviously-formed loops 12 being caught in the barb, as will be obvious.

I have not attempted to show herein all embodiments of my invention, buthave illustrated merely the preferable forms thereof.

Having fully described 7 my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. A straight sewing machine needle havingan open eye formed by a slot or cut in the side of the needle whichextends from one side of the needle body to the other in a directioninclined to the length of the needle.

2. A straight sewing machine needle having an open eye extending fromone side to the other thereof in an inclined direction relative to thelength of the needle, and a thread-receiving groove on each sideextending toward the opposite or back side of the needle and inclinedtoward the point thereof.

3. A straight sewing machine needle having an open eye extending in aninclined di- In testimony whereof, I have signed my rection relative tothe length of the needle, name to this specification, in the presence of10 and a thread-receiving groove on each side two subscribing witnesses.

extending toward the back side of the needle and inclined toward thepoint thereof, the JOSEPH FRENCH groove which faces the direction fromwhich \Vitncsses: the work is fed being deeper than the other LOUIS 0.SMITH,

groove. BnR'rI-IA F. HEUsnR.

